Thracian Sabazios: "The Fire of Heaven"

The Thracian Sabazios: Sabazios is, in all of the various mythic connections and
syncretisms linked with Him, always and ever associated closely with the
"Great Mother Goddess" role described above. In these He is sometimes
the cosmic Father -- hence associations to supreme paternal figures such as
Zeus, and Jupiter -- while in others He is the sacred solar Son, which grants
clarity on His relation to Dionysos and Zagreus. Commonly, Sabazios is seen as
both the Father/Lover and the Son, who will become the next Lover, fathering his
own succession. This mythic association makes Sabazios the ancestor to Himself,
which explains frequent attributions in later times as the god of ancestors. He
represents throughout this process the role of freedom and autonomy -- the
"shepherd of heaven", like the Sumerian Orion some link him to in
contemporary theories -- and also quite literally the path of the initiate of
the mysteries. In any case, the sacred marriage between Mother-and-Son -- which
is the same as Mother-and-Father, as the Son is the Father -- is the core
of the Thracian story. Sabazios could be seen -- and perhaps is, based on some
readings from the field of Thracology -- as the god of the mythic cycles
themselves, which is ironic given His lack of mythology. In Thracian Orphism, as
described by Alexander Fol, Sabazios is a "changeable" god,
associated with purifying the initiate -- a mortal -- to prepare him or her for
union with the gods and procession through the mysteries. In many ways,
Sabazios is the god of every man and woman who would undertake the task of initiation,
of communion, and of the process of development and spiritual growth. He is
seen as being more mercurial than the Roman Mercury, in this way!

As all of the Thracian rites include similar themes -- nocturnal revelry,
orgiastic ecstasy, intoxication (chemical or otherwise!) and enlightenment
through sensual progression of the mortal through a binary cycle (e.g. sober to
ecstatic, male to female, child to adult, warrior to priest, oracle to querant,
mortal to immortal) -- it is fair to attest to Sabazios as the god of all rites
and ritual in the Thracian world. It is no surprise, then, that the Greek and
Roman seekers and scholars viewed Him as a supreme deity, even though this view
was entirely absent from Thracian religious consciousness. In many ways,
Sabazios is likewise the God occupying the space between roles in the mythic
cycle: He is neither the satyr nor the maenad, but the space between them that
defines both. At the core, Sabazios is the Lord and Father of Freedom itself,
as a sacred and blessed state, wherein consent is virtued above all else, and
progression along the spiraled telling (and retelling) a near second. He
holds the way open for all experience that is approached by any and all who
would freely partake in the paths of mystery unfolding. If all the world is a
stage, as Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It, and the stage exists
to host the enactment of roles found in sacred drama, Sabazios is therefore the
patron of all those who would play any role, at any time, upon any stage, so
long as they do so of consenting heart and spirit.

Sabazios' association with warriorship and horses are similarly linked to this
central concept of freedom, or independence. Thracians were renown for their
mastery of horsemanship, horse breeding, and indeed for their military
abilities. Many Thracian tribes were legendary in times of war as elite
mercenaries, who would "rule the world" if only they could stop
fighting with each other. The image of the mounted Thracian horseman -- a noble
warrior, and frequently also a king-priest of his people -- became closely
associated with Sabazios. Both the role of warrior and horseman inevitably
represented freedom and continued independence, in an otherwise harsh and
hostile world, to the Thracians. It is said today that the popular Catholic
story of St. George and the Dragon -- wherein a mounted holy knight undertakes
the slaying of a wicked serpent -- is in fact a story of Sabazios, who was
likewise seen as the victor over a draconic foe. (The image of St. George in
this fated scene is found throughout the many orthodox churches and monasteries
of Bulgaria, the land that held much of the centralized Thracian influence in
the ancient world.) It is easy to surmise the rivalry between Sabazios and the
serpent, for snakes of all varieties -- be they venomous or constrictors --
have unique methods of dramatically disrupting the mobility (freedom!) of their
prey, in both nature and mythos. Interestingly, the cults of Sabazios did not otherwise
demonize the image of the serpent, and in fact this became one of His holiest
attributes. His priests were serpent-keepers, and initiates to His mysteries
practiced ritual snake handling, famously "passing the serpent through the
bosom" during their devotional workings.

As a god also of life, "whose rains give fertility", Sabazios'
orgiastic connections come forward once again. His rituals always had a steady
supply of both sex and drink, which inevitably lead to the spreading of seed
that might sprout new, sacred life. And yet, likewise, the name Sabazios is
thought by some to translate equally to "shatterer, destroyer", which
of course lend themselves to His warrior aspects.

It has been theorized that in His earliest days of worship, Sabazios was a god
of agricultural ecstasy -- especially associated with mountain-brewed barley
beer -- through which He taught the ideas of freedom to His adherents. Despite
their "drunken" and "lecherous" reputation, Thracians also
had orders of religious specialists who were sworn celibate or sober, which
speaks to the seemingly contradictory philosophies of moderation and excess as
virtues, both. In this way, Sabazios perhaps shows Himself as a sly god of paradoxes
-- challenging us all to be mindful of where we place our freedoms, lest we
lose them to ourselves. Through this patronage over paradox, Sabazios is
likewise master of madness; the primordial wildness and terror that overcomes
all who linger for too long on this cusp of contravention.